Page 126 - Mansfieldr FY20 Approved Budget
P. 126

economic substance of the transaction.  If the competitive bidding process is not conducive to soliciting
               the lowest cost of financing a bond issuance, the City may choose to negotiate the sale.

               Negotiated Sale:  The City shall seek to weigh the selection of underwriter before negotiating a bond sale.
               The selection of the underwriter shall encourage the best economic environment in which the City will
               benefit from selling  its bonds.   Typically, negotiated sales  will occur when the market volatility is
               unpredictable.  In some cases this may  mean investors are not willing  to  commit capital in uncertain
               economic environments, or the size of the issue may not attract the bids for a successful sale.  Moreover,
               the primary purpose of the negotiated sale is to solicit the interest rate environment for the City to sell
               bonds.

               Private Placement:  The City will seek to privately place its bonds with a select group of investors when
               the issuance warrants the sophistication of the buyer.  The City will ensure that the placement fee is less
               than a typical underwriter’s fee in a negotiated offering of a comparable type sale  in  a  similar sale
               environment.

               Refunding of Debt

               The  City  of Mansfield, Texas shall  monitor  the  municipal  bond  market  for opportunities to refund
               outstanding debt to save the City from future interest costs.  As a general rule, the savings shall be at least
               3% greater than the cost of carrying the existing debt inclusive of  issuance costs and  any cash
               contributions.  However, if the value of the savings exceeds the cost of the refunding and is greater than
               $100,000 but is less than 3% of the savings,  then the  City  shall consider refunding the existing debt.
               Arbitrage rules are to be considered when refunding debt.

               Credit Objectives

               The City of Mansfield, Texas shall seek to attain and maintain the highest possible bond ratings for its
               outstanding debt without compromising the delivery of basic City services.  Currently, the City maintains
               four ratings with Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s.

                                             Fitch, IBCA          Moody’s        Standard & Poor’s
               General Obligation                 AA+               Aa2                  AAA
               Sales Tax Revenue                  AA+               Aa2/3              AA-/A+
               Drainage Revenue                   AA                Aa2                  AA
               Water & Sewer                      AA+               Aa2                  AA+

               It is and will be the continued policy of the City of Mansfield to provide full disclosure of information
               about  the  City’s operating activity to the rating agencies.   The  City  shall maintain  an open line of
               communication with the rating agencies to allow for the free exchange of information between the City
               and the agencies.

               Secondary Market Disclosure

               SEC 15c2-12 regulations became effective July 3, 1995.  The City shall continue to provide financial data
               to  the Nationally Recognized Municipal Information Depository (NRMSIRs), EMMA  and the  State
               Information Depositories (SIDs).  The City will and has complied with secondary reporting requirements
               of SEC 15c2-12.




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